VETTING and choosing a new education secretary has ended, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has an excellent choice in Sen. Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.
Senator Angara on Tuesday accepted with "humility and a profound sense of duty" his appointment as the next head of the Department of Education (DepEd). The senator said he was deeply honored and grateful to President Marcos for "the trust" he has placed in him by appointing him as new DepEd chief.
"I am committed to working with all sectors of society, including my predecessor, Vice President Sara Duterte, to ensure that every Filipino child has access to quality education. I look forward to building upon her accomplishments," he said.
Likewise, he said that education was "the cornerstone of our nation's future, and it is through collective effort that we can address the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead."
"I am eager to collaborate with President Marcos and the entire administration in serving our students, supporting our teachers, and enhancing the overall quality of education in our country," he said.
Angara’s colleagues in the Senate were happy and supportive of his transfer from the legislative chamber to the executive branch. One of the architects of the country’s present laws involving education, Angara now will have the opportunity to see these educational policies through even in their implementation.
Few legislators—whether senator or representative—are given this rare privilege.
It was Senate President Francis Escudero who first made the recommendation that Angara would make a good choice for education secretary. When the news that Angara already clinched the post, Sen. Loren Legarda turned to X to greet him. She wrote: "Congratulations Sen. Sonny on your DepEd post! So well deserved. We are here to support you!"
Academically and considering his work experience, Sonny Angara is indeed fit for the job. Sonny has an impressive CV – basic education at Xavier School, bachelor of science in international relations, with honors, from London School of Economics; law degree from the University of the Philippines and master of laws, at Harvard. He has served as a member of the Senate since 2013, and also became a professor of law.
But academic qualification and work experience are not the only things that matter in picking an education secretary. And the President is well aware of that. In an interview, Marcos recently highlighted the need to appoint an educator who can help both the teachers and students. Perhaps he sees in Angara the ability to make this happen.
It is well to note that recent studies and surveys made abroad have documented that Filipino students lack basic reading skills, and are behind among Southeast Asian children in mathematics and science. They also lack creative skills, it was pointed out in several studies.
This is one reason why the President is putting emphasis on improving the test scores of our learners. Knowledge and skills prepare our youth for the life ahead, and it is the shared responsibility of the school and the home to provide this badly needed support.
Realizing these problems, we expect Sonny Angara to hit the ground running on the very first day of his new job as education secretary. After the accolades, congratulations and expressions of support, he will have to buckle down to work as fast as he can and “strive to create a brighter future for our nation through education.” Those are his very words.